Car holding and releasing mechanism for mine-cages.



' D. F. LEPLEY. CAR HOLDING AND RELEASING MECHANISM FOR MINE CAGES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 26. I915.

1,235,210. Patented July 31, 1917 3 SHEETS-SHEET L.

Witnesses j flg/kjIn ventor fi I yer-7 mm by Attorneys D.F. LEPLEY.

CAR HOLDING AND RELEASING MECHANISM FOR MINE CAGES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 26, I915. 1,235,210. Patented July 31, 1917.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

lily Witnesses Inventor Attorneys,

D. F. LEPLEY.

CAR HOLDING AND RELEASING MECHANISM FOR MINE CAGES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 26 I915.

Pafnted July 31, 1917.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

Inventor,

Attorneys.

rrnn eras BENT FFQE.

DANIEL F. LEPLEY, OF CONNELLSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR HQLDING- AND RELEASING MECHANISM FOR MINE-CAGES;

Application filed October 28, 1915.

Mechanism for Mine-Cages, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to car holding and releasing mechanism especially designed for use at the bottom of a hoist shaft, in connection with self dumping cages.

One of the objects of the invention is to automatically position a car on the platform of a self dumping cage when brought to position at the bottom of the hoist shaft and to automatically lock the car on said platform before the ascent is begun, the locking of the car being efficient so as positively to prevent the car from becoming dislodged during the hoisting operation. Heretofore considerable difiiculty has been experienced in so mounting cars on the platforms as to prevent them from becoming dislodged and causing wrecks or from being thrown from the cages into the dumping chutes during the dumping operation at the upper terminus. An object of the invention is to avoid all of the difficulties heretofore experienced from these causes.

A further object is to provide means whereby the car when lowered after being dumped, will be automatically released from the cage when the landing is effected at the bottom of the shaft, said car being removed from the platform by another oncoming loaded car which is, in itself, the means employed, for bringing the automatic mechanism into action thereby to lock the loaded car on the cage before the hoisting operattion is started.

Another object is'to provide improved means for mounting the stops or horns so that they will be held very rigid and will be capable of withstanding severe usage so that they will not work loose and get out of place on the shafts supporting them.

A further object is to provide a stop or horn so shaped that the proper application thereof to active position will not be prevented by accumulations of dust and ice such as often found upon the sides of the rails in freezing weather.

Another object is to provide a stop or horn which, when in active position, lies close to the flange of the wheel and engages Specification of Letters latent.

Patented July 31, 1917.

Serial No. 57,894.

the wheel for a short distance above the rail, thus constituting a secure and etlicient contact which requires but little movement laterally to release the wheel engaged thereby.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes inthe precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section of a cage having the present improvements combined therein, said cage being shown in position just prior to being lowered to the level of the tracks of the incline, a car being shown in position on the cage.

Fig. 2 is a section on line A-B Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the cage and showing a car in position.

Fig. f is a perspective view of a of the chock mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a side elevationof one of the stops or horns and adjacent parts.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of said stop or horn in active position.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 and 2 designate the base portions of an inclined track leading to and from the lower landing or terminus of a shaft 3 in which a cage 1} is adapted to travel, this cage being preferably of the dumping type and being provided with horizontal rails 5 adapted, when the cage is lowered to its upper landing, to aline or register with the rails of the sections 1 and 2. Pivotally mounted close to one side of the shaft 3 is a dog 6 connected by a link 7 to a crank arm 8. This crank arm rotates with a shaft 9 from which extends a weighted arm 10 and an upwardly projecting tripping finger 11. The weighted arm 10 serves to hold the tripping finger normally projected upwardly where it can be struck and actuated by a portion of a car traveling along the inclined track 1 while the dog 6 is normally projected into the portion shaft 3. These parts have been fully disclosed in a copending application filed by me in the United States Patent Office on December 3, 1914, Serial No. 875,351. The cage 1 has hangers 12 depending therefrom and in these hangers is journaled a shaft 13 extending longitudinally of the cage. Extending laterally from that end of shaft 13 nearest the dog 6 is a finger let the end of which is adapted to engage the active end of the dog under certain conditions, as will be hereinafter pointed out. At the other end of shaft 13 are provided oppositely extending arms 15 and one of these arms has a rod 16 connected to it and extending downwardly through a bracket 17 secured to the lower portion of the cage structure, there being a spring 18 upon the rod and bearing upwardly against the bracket so as to exert a constant downward pull through the rod upon the arm 15 to which the rod is attached. Hence spring 18 and the part 16 serve to hold the arm 15 and the finger 14 substantially horizontal.

Journaled upon the cage close to and under the ails are parallel shafts 19 each of which is provided, at one end, with a depending crank arm 20, these crank arms being connected by links 21 to the respective arms 15. Thus it will be seen that when shaft 13 is rotated, the arms 15 will pull through the respective links 21, and cause the crank arms 20 to swing inwardly toward each other, thus to rotate the shafts 19 in opposite directions. Secured to each of the shafts 19 is a stop or horn 22 which is pref erably in the form of a wing the upper portion of which is disposed at an angle to the lower portion so that when the arms 15 and 20 and the links 21 are in their normal positions, the upper portions of these stops will be extended substantially vertically and will overhang the rails 5 so as to lie in the paths of the front wheels "V of the car C. The inner or wheel engaging edge of the stop or horn is preferably recessed, as at 23, so as to form an efficient seat for the reception of a portion of the car wheel. These stops are so located as to be engaged by the front wheels of the car, when the car is properly centered on the cage. The depressions 23 are so proportioned as to embrace the treads of the wheels sufliciently to prevent the car running out of position when the cage is inclined to an angle of 45 to 50. At other points on the cage are checks for automatically engaging the rear wheels of the car when the car is centered on the cage. Each of these checks is in the form of a member 24 secured to a shaft 25 iournaled on the cage near one of the rails 5, the member extending outside of the rail. Depending from shaft 25 is a finger 26 to which is secured a spring 27. This spring is attached to the cage structure and exerts a constant pull upon finger 26, thus to hold the member 2% pressed yieldingly against the side of the adjacent rail 5 so as to project upwardly beyond the rail and slightly overhang it. A deflecting wing 28 extends from the member 24L, the deflecting wings upon the two members diverging toward the adjacent end of the cage. Thus it will be seen that when the wheels of a.

car come into engagement with the wings 28, said wings will be deflected laterally until after the wheels have passed the checks whereupon the springs 27 will automatically return the chocks to their initial positions where they will be supported back of the wheels and prevent the car from moving backwardly along the rails.

Importance is attached to the particular form and mounting of each stop or horn 22 as the same has been found to be the only structure having any degree of permanency. The shaft 19 is squared as shown at 29 and this squared portion is the part engaged by the stop or horn. It is to be understood that the locking stop or horn is preferably made of a threequarter inch plate having the recess 23 in one edge so shaped as to embrace the wheel snugly. The lower end portion of the plate forming stop 22 has parallel angle strips 30 secured thereto by double rivets or in any other suitable manner, these strips being spaced apart a distance just equal to the thickness of the squared portion of the shaft so that said portion will fit snugly between the angle strips and with one face against the plate forming the stop or horn 22. A series of retaining bolts 31 is extended through the outstanding flanges of the angle strips and fits snugly against the outer face of the squared portion of the shaft so that, when tightened, the parts will be securely clamped to the shaft, thereby making a very permanent and rigid structure which cannot work loose and permit the stop to swing out of position on the shaft.

The bearing 32 that supports one end of the shaft 19 is extended downwardly from an angle strip 33 forming a part of the platform. A wear plate 3% is introduced between this angle strip and the adjacent edg of the stop or horn 22 and is held in place in any manner desired as, for example, by means of those bolts used for fastening the journal 32 to the angle strip 33. This plate 9 and the angle strip 10 receive the thrust of the car when the platform and car are tilted to dumping position, whereas heretofore the thrust has been received solely by the stop and the support provided therefor.

Attention is called to the fact that the shaft 19 is disposed outwardly from the vertical line of the rail thereabove, so that when the upper straight portion of the stop or horn 22 is engaged by the top edge of the rail 5, a V-shaped clearance space is formed between the stop or horn and the side of the rail. Thus it is impossible for any accumulations of dirt, ice, etc., to become lodged upon the side of the rail, preventing the stop from moving to active position in the path of the wheel on the rail. Furthermore, the beating of the horn or stop against the top of the rail when thrown into active position tends to crowd and beat downward any accumulations which may be on the rail.

It will be seen, by referring particularly to Fig. 6, that the upper straight portion of the stop or horn 22 is brought very close to the flange of the wheel and extends to a short distance above the rail, the same being parallel with the flange when in active position and making a very safe and secure contact. By providing this form of stop the lower portion of which is inclined while the upper portion is vertical when in active position, but a slight movement is necessary in order to shift the stop or horn laterally so as to clear the end of the axle carried by the wheel and to clear the usual oil pockets that are on the outer end of the wheel hub.

The car C is provided at each end with a bumper X and arranged upon the cage adjacent each end are blocks Y over which the bumpers are extended when the car is in position on the cage.

It is to be understood that the bumpers constitute no part of the present invention and when the car is in position, these bumpers will not contact with but will be spaced from the blocks Y. Said blocks Y act in a measure to prevent the car tipping over or rotating around the front wheel center while the car is being tilted to an angle of 15 degrees to 50 degrees.

Assuming that an empty car is on the cage at the bottom of the shaft and that the finger 1 1 is resting on the upper end of the dog 6, the stops or horns 22 will be held in their laterally extended positions so as not to obstruct the movement of the car off of the cage. When a loaded car is caused to gravitate along the track 1 toward the cage, it will strike the finger 11 and cause dog 6 to be pulled from under the finger 14:. Im-

mediately prior to this tripping action,

however, the loaded car will strike against the empty car and the impact will be sufiicient to direct the empty car off of the cage and onto the track 2. As soon as the finger 1 1 is released in the manner described by the oncoming loaded car, the springs 18 will expand so as to restore finger 1 1, arms 15 and the stops or horns 22 to their active positions, with the result that when the loaded car assumes its proper position on the cage, it will come against the stops or horns 22. It is to be understood that the arms 15, links 21 and arms 20 will form a lock to prevent rotation of the shaft 19 and movement of the stops 22. The rotation of the arms 15 under the action of spring 18 can be limited by suitably disposed stops 16', so that as soon as they have passed their dead centers, they will be held against further rotation in order to form a lock. Obviously these stops can be located at any other points desired. As the loaded car moves onto the cage and comes gently against the stops 22, the'wheels will spread apart the chocks 2st until after the rear wheels have passed the chocks, whereupon the chocks will spring to position back of the wheels. The car will thus be locked on the cage. The cage can then be elevated and tilted to dump the contents of the car, after which the cage can be lowered again to the bottom of the shaft, thus to bring the finger 14 onto the dog 6 and cause the wings 22 to swing laterally out of the paths of the wheels of the empty car on the cage. The

operation heretofore described can then be repeated.

What is claimed is 1. The combination with a cage and parallel angle rails thereon forming a track, each rail having a base flange at one side only, and the upper face of each rail being of less width than the tread portion of a car wheel thereon, of car stops carried by the cage and mounted to swing about parallel axes, each stop being normally inclined against one side of one of said rails so as to contact with said rail solely along the upper side edge thereof, the upper portion of each stop being extended vertically and adapted, with the upper part of the inclined portion of the stop, to engage the periphery of a wheel from a point above the center of the wheel to a point close to the point of contact between the wheel and the rail and means for swinging the stops out of wheel engaging positions.

2. The combination with parallel angle rails forming a track, said rails having their base flanges extended toward each other, the upper faces of the rails being of. less width than the treads of car wheels thereon, of car stops mounted to swing about parallel axes and each having its lower portion inclined against and projecting slightly above one of the rails and having its upper portion substantially vertical, said upper portion and the upper part of the inclined portion having a wheel receiving recess for engaging the periphery of a wheel on the rail from a point above the center of the wheel to a point close to the point of contact be tween the rail and wheel and means for swinging the stops out of wheel engaging positions.

3. The combination with a cage having rails thereon, of parallel shafts journaled on the cage, each shaft having an enlarged squared portion, a plate bearing against one face of each squared portion, said plate constituting a Wheel stop or horn, parallel angle strips secured to one face of the plate and fitting snugly upon opposed faces of the squared portion of the shaft, and bolts extending through said angle strips and engaging another face of the squared portion of the shaft.

f. The combination With a cage having cross strips, and rails secured upon said strips, of parallel shafts having square portions, a Wear plate secured to one of the cross strips, plates engaging one face of each of the squared portions and constituting stops or horns, said plates being adapted to transmit thrust from a car to the Wear plate, angle strips secured to each stop plate and engaging opposed faces of the squared portion of the adjacent shaft, and bolts connecting the angle strips and engaging one face of the squared portion of the shaft therebetween, and means for rotating the shafts to swing the stop plates relative to the rails.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signa- 25 ture in the presence of two Witnesses.

DANIEL F. LEPLEY. Vitnesses P. BUFANO, FRED ROHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

